'Mafia-like' criminals latest threat in Iraq, Petraeus says

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: Associated Press

CAMP SPEICHER, Iraq — The threat from al-Qaida in several former strongholds in Baghdad has been significantly reduced, but criminals who have established "almost mafia-like presence" in some areas pose a new threat, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said today.

Gen. David Petraeus stressed, however, the terror organization remained "a very dangerous and very lethal enemy" — a comment underscored by the abduction today in Baghdad of 10 Sunni and Shiite tribal leaders who joined forces against al-Qaida.

"Its presence has been significantly reduced and its activity and freedom of action have been degraded," Petraeus told a small group of reporters at a U.S. base near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad.

<snip>

Petraeus said the reduced threat from al-Qaida had given way to nonsectarian crimes — kidnapping, corruption in the oil industry and extortion.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5252148.html

---

Hmmm, 'Mafia-like' corruption in the oil industry and extortion. It looks like the Bush Cabal can dust off that "mission accomplished" banner and finally wave it with conviction.

[LakeSamish706]

1. Doesn't it seem strange that none of this was going on prior to...

the US invading this country and basically demolishing it!

[dickbearton]

20. Betrayus is a STOOGE, of the Criminals Bush and Chaney...

The question is: does his complicity with the Criminals Bush
and Chaney, make him a traitor and a war criminal, too?

[0007]

2. Please General you can't be that fucking lame, can you? This

is such a dumb report. Oh Oh, maybe it isn't? We all know who can clean of the street of crime, and bring decency back to Democracy 'eh?

Moral excellence

[sallyseven]

3. Yes he can be that lame.

He after all allowed the white house to write his report and he read it to the American People. Just another boggy man, the Mafia. My head is spinning right off my body. Think I will find an island and go live on it.

[Amonester]

18. More like:

hey? :evilgrin:


(Great minds think alike!) :rofl:

[w4rma]

4. Sounds like a job for the police, not the U.S. military. (nt)

[goclark]

5. GW is the biggest gangster in the world! nt

[OnyxCollie]

10. Gangsterer-in-Chief

[goclark]

13. Mobster in Chief as well ~

He has a bigger gang than all the Rapper have combined.

Amerika, where is thy justice!

[Baby Snooks]

6. The real corruption and extortion

"Petraeus said the reduced threat from al-Qaida had given way to nonsectarian crimes — kidnapping, corruption in the oil industry and extortion."

Petraeus needs to read the proposed oil law his boss keeps trying to ram down the throat of the Iraqi Parliament if he wants to see the real corruption in the oil industry and extortion.

[NMMNG]

7. Any excuse to justify continued presence there.

:eyes:

[tabasco]

8. 'Mafia-like' criminals latest threat in USA, says tabasco.

It's called the Bush oil mafia.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

9. Yep. It's good to know the irony of the headline wasn't lost on DUers. n/t

[EFerrari]

12. I'm watching Liar Rice's hearing from Thursday.

Remember? It was about corruption in the Iraqi government and included Blackwater? Some video person needs to take clips of her insisting that no official is above the law, no matter how high ranking.

I guess Iraq doesn't have a unitary executive. :shrug:

It was a parade of ironies.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

16. What was your impression of her testimony?

I came away feeling she felt superior and her tone was mocking.

[EFerrari]

19. My main impression was that she was commenting on BushCo

without a clue in the world that she was.

Yes, she feels safe, imho.

[htuttle]

11. They mean 'rival mafia', right?

I know what Smedley Butler would say about it, anyway...

[scarface2004]

14. now he s referring to u s marines as mafia like?!?!

it s worse than i thought!!

[bahrbearian]

15. Better get 200 billion over there ASAP,, that will fix the problem.

[rodeodance]

17. and what the heck is a military doing in the midst of this?

[RamboLiberal]

21. Yeah general and you're consorting with a godfather

Chalabi!

[heliarc]

22. Hmmm... you lose 9 billion and there isn't a mafia? nt

[Triana]

23. They're the greatest threat HERE too. Particularly in the White House (n/t)

[Supersedeas]

24. Did Petraeus say the 'c' word -- Condi is not going to like that one bit.

Time for the General to retract the statement regarding corruption....psst....and oil.

[Javaman]

25. no metering of iraqi oil...

I suspected this for a while.

[damntexdem]

26. Yeah, and that's just Blackwater -- what about the other 'protection' companies?

;-)